You’re probably thinking that pi is just like the pie you eat, except spelled differently. Sorry for making you hungry, but it isn’t. Pi is a sequence of numbers, beginning with 3.14, but with no calculated end. If I typed all of pi’s known digits into this article, this magazine could go on forever! The digits of pi have been calculated to over 100 trillion decimal places using computers, but its ending number remains unknown. Researchers haven’t found any recurring patterns in pi either. Pi is kind of like infinity because, like infinity, pi never ends.
Despite what you may think, pi isn’t just a useless string of numbers. The first three digits of pi (3.14) are used to calculate the circumference or the radius of a circle. The radius is the measurement from the perimeter of the circle to the exact middle, and circumference is the perimeter of a circle. If you want to calculate the circumference of a circle you would use pi as part of the equation. For example: if the radius is 5, then the equation would be: 2 x π (3.14) x 5. The answer is 31.4. See how pi was used?
The symbol of pi, π, was created by a Welsh mathematician named William Jones in 1706, who was a friend of Sir Isaac Newton. For those who don’t know, Sir Isaac Newton was the physicist who developed the theory of gravity. Before he started describing it as “pi”, William Jones and anyone else who wanted to talk about circumference would use the greek term for it, περιϕέρεια, pronounced pear-a-fair-i-a. Soon after, William Jones abbreviated it to only its first letter, π. The term became more popular later on thanks to the help of a Swiss mathematician named Leonard Euler.
The digits 3.14 can also be interpreted as a date, March 14, which is also known as National Pi Day. March is the third month, hence the 3, and the 14 is converted into the 14th day of March. Albert Einstein was born on pi day, so you could celebrate not only pi day on March 14th, but also Einstein’s birthday! A really fun way to celebrate pi day is to eat foods that start with pi. For example, you could eat pineapple, pizza, or the classic apple pie.
VTT used to celebrate pi in a different way. Mrs. Fisher would hold a pi contest every year, on National Pi Day. The rules were simple: whomever can memorize and say the most digits of pi wins! The prizes were really extravagant, and they were all donated by an anonymous donor. One year, they gave away an Apple Watch. Another year, the prize was an iPad. Sadly, the donor stopped supplying the prizes, and now the pi contest is no more.
Pi is probably the most fascinating series of digits in the universe. As William L. Schaaf said in his book, Nature and History of Pi: “Probably no symbol in mathematics has evoked as much mystery, romanticism, misconception and human interest as the number pi.” As for human interest, pi’s got me hooked, and I hope it has piqued your interest too. Maybe you might even compete in the VTT annual pi contest (if it comes back…) It’s kind of cool if you think about it, that even if all else fails, one thing is for sure — you can always count on pi to keep going on.
